How to take a screenshot on a Xiaomi smartphone: all the ways for MIUI 12-14

Why Xiaomi screenshots are different than other Android smartphones

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO are powered by MIUI, which dramatically changes the standard Android features. If the naked Android screenshot is done by pressing the power + volume buttons, it's more complex and interesting. MIUI offers unique gestures, a quick action panel and even voice control that competitors don't have.

But this advantage turns into a problem: users who switch from other brands (such as Samsung or Huawei) often can not find the usual features, and Xiaomi regularly updates MIUI, and the location of the buttons can change. For example, in MIUI 14, a separate tab “Screenshots” in the gallery disappeared — they are now stored in the Screenshots folder inside the DCIM.

Another feature is the black screen on screenshots in some apps (banks, instant messengers), which is not a bug, but data leak protection that Xiaomi has implemented at the request of Google, which can be bypassed, but not always legally.

Method 1: Classic button combination (works on 99% of models)

The most reliable method that works even on the old Xiaomi Mi A1 (2017) and the new Xiaomi 14 Ultra (2026) is suitable for all versions of MIUI - from 8 to 14.

1. Open the screen you want to capture (for example, a dialogue in Telegram or a page in Chrome).
2. Press two buttons at the same time: 🔋 Meals (right) 🔊 Volume reduction (left)

1-2 seconds

⚠️ Note: On some models (e.g, POCO F5) Holding the buttons too long can trigger a power menu. If the screenshot isn't taken, try pressing faster.

Buttons not locked | Screen not turned off | App allowed to take screenshots (see Settings → Privacy) | Enough memory (minimum 50 MB)

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Where to look for a screenshot? Open Gallery → Albums → Screenshots. In MIUI 14, you can also swipe down from the top of the screen and click on the notification "Screenshot saved."

Method 2: Three-finger slip gesture (fastest)

Xiaomi's time-saving feature, which is not a button, is available on all devices with MIUI 9 and newer, but is disabled by default, to activate it:

1. Go to Settings → Additional functions → Gestures.
2. Select a screenshot with three fingers.
3. Turn on the switch and read the hint: swipe down the screen with three fingers at the same time.

💡 Useful tip: The gesture works even in games (e.g. Genshin Impact or GIG). PUBG Mobile, where the power and volume buttons are occupied by the gamepad, but in some applications (for example, TikTok), the gesture may conflict with swipes to switch videos.

Power and volume keys |Three-finger gesture |Fast settings panel |Voice assistant |Another way-->

If the gesture doesn't work:

• 🧹 Check if the Child Mode is on (it blocks gestures).
• 🔄 Restart your phone – sometimes the system “forgets” your gesture settings.
• 📱 Make sure there are no greasy spots on the screen – the sensor may not recognize touch.

Method 3: Quick Settings Panel (for single screenshots)

If you don't want to remember button combinations or gestures, use the notification bar, which is convenient for creating screenshots with one hand:

1. Swipe down from the top edge of the screen to open the notification bar.
2. Swipe down again to deploy quick settings.
3. Find the Screenshot icon (usually scissors) 🧷 If you don't have one, click Edit and add it manually.
4. Slip on the icon - the screenshot will be taken in 1-2 seconds.

⚠️ Note: Some models (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro)+) The quick settings panel may be hidden when you scroll through Instagram or YouTube, in which case use alternative methods.

The advantage of the method is that you can take a screenshot with a delay (useful for fixing temporary notifications).

1. Hold your finger on the screenshot icon in the panel.
2. Select Delay 3 seconds or Delay 5 seconds.
3. You will have time to prepare the screen (for example, deploy a spoiler in VKontakte).

Method 4: Voice command (for MIUI 12–14 with Google Assistant)

If you have busy hands or want to feel like a hero of a futuristic movie, try voice control. The method works on all Xiaomi smartphones with Google Assistant preinstalled (for example, Xiaomi 13T, POCO X5 Pro).

Instructions:

1. Activate voice assistant: Long-press home (if any) or say OK, Google (if the feature is enabled in the settings).

Take a screenshot.

Take a picture of the screen.

Wait for confirmation: "Screenshot taken" + shutter sound.

🔍 Important: Voice commands do not work in all applications, for example, Sberbank Online or VTB Online screenshot will not be taken due to the security policies of banks, and the method requires an Internet connection (to process commands on Google servers).

Method 5: Script with scrolling (long pages)

If you want to capture an entire web page, a chat on WhatsApp or a long post on VKontakte, a standard screenshot will not help - it captures only the visible area of the screen. MIUI has a built-in Scrolling Screenshot (or Long Screenshot).

How to use it:

1. Take a regular screenshot of any of the above methods.
2. Immediately after the miniature appears in the lower right corner, tap it.
3. In the editor that opens, select Scrolling (an icon with two arrows) ⤵️).
4. Wait until the system automatically scrolls down the page and connects the frames.
5. Click Ready to save the result (can weigh up to 10MB!).

⚠️ Note: Not all apps work, such as Instagram or TikTok, because of restrictions. API. Artifacts can also occur if the page loads the content dynamically (e.g., Yandex.Zen tape).

Problem Solving: Black screen, no sound, screenshots not saved

Even on new Xiaomi smartphones, there can be errors in creating screenshots.

Problem 1: Screenshot taken, but screen black

This is not a failure, but a privacy protection, where some apps (banks, instant messengers, payment systems) block screenshots from being available on Google's request.

• 🏦 Sberbank Online, VTB Online, Tinkoff
• 💬 WhatsApp (in some versions), Signal
• 🎮 Netflix, Disney+ (piracy)

🔧 Bypasses:

• 📸 Use the second phone – take a picture of the screen.
• 🖥️ Connect your smartphone to your PC and take a screenshot via scrcpy or Vysor.
• ⚠️ Illegal: Install a modified version of the app (risk of account blocking!).

Problem 2: No shutter and notification sound

If the screenshot does not give a characteristic click and a thumbnail does not appear, check:

1. 🔇 No Sound Mode – Shutter sound is turned off along with other notifications.
2. 🎵 The volume of the media - in MIUI The sound of the screenshot is tied to the volume of the media (not notifications!).
3. 🛠️ Screenshots App Settings – Go to Settings → Annexes → Application management → Screenshots → Notifications and enable the option to Show Notifications.

Problem 3: Screenshots are not saved in the gallery

Files can be “disappeared” for several reasons:

• 🗑️ Screenshots folder removed manually – create it again in the DCIM.
• 📁 Access Rights – Give permission to write for the Gallery app (Settings) → Annexes → Permits → Memory).
• 🔄 Cash - clear the gallery cache: Settings → Annexes → gallery → Memory. → Clear the cache.

💡

If screenshots are saved but not displayed in the gallery, try using a file manager (e.g. Mi File Manager) and find them by the path /storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshots/.

Additional chips: editing, screen recording and cloud saving

MIUI offers tools for working with screenshots that many people don't know about.

🖌️ Quick editing

Once you've created the screenshot, tap the thumbnail in the bottom right corner, and the built-in editor with the following functions will open.

• ✏️ Drawing (brushes, markers, eraser).
• 📝 Text (you can add a signature or meme).
• 🔲 Pruning (useful for removing excess elements).
• 🖼️ Blurring (hiding personal data).

🎥 Screen recording with sound

If screenshots are not enough, record a video from the screen:

1. Swipe down the notification bar and find the Screen Record icon (or add it via Edit).
2. Choose the sound source: Microphone, Sound device or both.
3. Press Recording - in 3 seconds the capture will begin.

☁️ Automatic upload to the cloud

To avoid losing screenshots when resetting your phone, set up auto-save in Mi Cloud:

1. Go to Settings → Xiaomi Account → Mi Cloud.
2. Turn on the gallery sync.
3. Select Download only over Wi-Fi so you don’t waste mobile traffic.

🔐 Important: The free version of the Mi Cloud is available only 5 GB. for screenshots this is enough for ~2000 files (with an average weight of 2.5 MB).

💡

The screenshot editor in MIUI allows you to add text in Russian, Chinese and English, as well as save templates for reuse (for example, for memes).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions